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Dubrovnik, historically known as Ragusa, is a city in southern
Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...
,
Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
, by the
Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...
. It is one of the most prominent
tourist destination A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural beau ...
s in the
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
, a
seaport A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manc ...
and the centre of the
Dubrovnik-Neretva County The Dubrovnik-Neretva County (; , ) is the southernmost county of Croatia. The county seat is Dubrovnik and other large towns are Korčula, Metković, Opuzen and Ploče. The Municipality of Neum, which belongs to neighbouring Bosnia and Herz ...
. In 2021, its total population was 41,562. Recognizing its outstanding medieval architecture and fortifications,
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
inscribed the Old City of Dubrovnik as a
World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
in 1979. The history of the city probably dates back to the 7th century, when the town known as was founded by refugees from
Epidaurum Epidaurus (, ) or Epidauros was an ancient Greek colony founded sometime in the 6th century BC and renamed to Epidaurum during Roman rule in 228 BC, when it was part of the province of Illyricum and later of Dalmatia.Wilkes, J. J. The Illyrians ...
(). It was under
protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over ...
of the
Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...
and later under the sovereignty of the
Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...
. Between the 14th and 19th centuries, Dubrovnik ruled itself as a free state. The prosperity of the city was historically based on
maritime trade Maritime transport (or ocean transport) or more generally waterborne transport, is the transport of people (passengers or goods (cargo) via waterways. Freight transport by watercraft has been widely used throughout recorded history, as it pro ...
; as the capital of the maritime
Republic of Ragusa The Republic of Ragusa, or the Republic of Dubrovnik, was an maritime republics, aristocratic maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik (''Ragusa'' in Italian and Latin; ''Raguxa'' in Venetian) in South Dalmatia (today in southernmost ...
, it achieved a high level of development, particularly during the 15th and 16th centuries, as it became notable for its wealth and skilled
diplomacy Diplomacy is the communication by representatives of State (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, non-governmental institutions intended to influence events in the international syste ...
. At the same time, Dubrovnik became a cradle of
Croatian literature Croatian literature refers to literary works attributed to the medieval and modern culture of the Croats, Croatia, and Croatian language, Croatian. Besides the modern language whose shape and orthography were standardized in the late 19th centu ...
. In his letter to
Nikola Nalješković Nikola Nalješković () (around 1500, Dubrovnik - 1587, Dubrovnik) was a Republic of Ragusa, Ragusan poet, playwright and scholar. He wrote poetry, romantic canzones, masques (carnival songs), epistles, pastoral plays, mythological plays, farce, ...
(1564), poet Ivan Vidalić named it "crown of Croatian cities". The entire city was almost destroyed in a devastating earthquake in 1667. During the
Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
, Dubrovnik was occupied by the French Empire forces, and then the Republic of Ragusa was abolished and incorporated into the
Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (; ) was a kingdom in Northern Italy (formerly the Italian Republic) that was a client state of Napoleon's French Empire. It was fully influenced by revolutionary France and ended with Napoleon's defeat and fall. Its gover ...
and later into the
Illyrian Provinces The Illyrian Provinces were an autonomous province of France during the First French Empire that existed under Napoleonic Rule from 1809 to 1814. The province encompassed large parts of modern Italy and Croatia, extending their reach further e ...
of France. In the early 19th to early 20th century, Dubrovnik was part of the
Kingdom of Dalmatia The Kingdom of Dalmatia (; ; ) was a crown land of the Austrian Empire (1815–1867) and the Cisleithanian half of Austria-Hungary (1867–1918). It encompassed the entirety of the region of Dalmatia, with its capital at Zadar. History The Habs ...
within the
Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...
. Dubrovnik became part of the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () h ...
immediately upon its creation, and it was incorporated into its
Zeta Banovina The Zeta Banovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Zetska banovina, Зетска бановина), was a province ( banovina) of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1929 and 1941. This province consisted of all of present-day Montenegro as well as ...
in 1929, before becoming part of the
Banovina of Croatia The Banovina of Croatia or Banate of Croatia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=, Banovina Hrvatska, Бановина Хрватска) was an administrative subdivision ( banovina) of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1939 and 1941. It was formed by a m ...
upon its creation in 1939. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, it was part of the
Axis An axis (: axes) may refer to: Mathematics *A specific line (often a directed line) that plays an important role in some contexts. In particular: ** Coordinate axis of a coordinate system *** ''x''-axis, ''y''-axis, ''z''-axis, common names ...
puppet state A puppet state, puppet régime, puppet government or dummy government is a State (polity), state that is ''de jure'' independent but ''de facto'' completely dependent upon an outside Power (international relations), power and subject to its ord ...
Independent State of Croatia The Independent State of Croatia (, NDH) was a World War II–era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist Italy. It was established in parts of Axis occupation of Yugoslavia, occupied Yugoslavia on 10 April 1941, ...
, before being reincorporated into
Socialist Republic of Croatia The Socialist Republic of Croatia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Hrvatska, Социјалистичка Република Хрватска), commonly abbreviated as SR Croatia and referred to as simply Croatia, was a ...
in
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...
. In 1991, during the
Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence) and (rarely) "War in Krajina" ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Рат у Крајини, Rat u Krajini) are used. was an armed conflict fought in Croatia from 1991 to 1995 between Croats, Croat forces loyal to the Governmen ...
, Dubrovnik was besieged by the
Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA/; Macedonian language, Macedonian, Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian language, Croatian and ; , J ...
for seven months and suffered significant damage from shelling. After undergoing repair and restoration works in the 1990s and early 2000s, it re-emerged as one of the Mediterranean's top
tourist destination A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural beau ...
s, as well as a popular
filming location A filming location is a place where some or all of a film or television series is produced, instead of or in addition to using sets constructed on a movie studio backlot or soundstage. In filmmaking, a location is any place where a film crew wi ...
. According to Holidu, Dubrovnik was the most 'over-touristed' destination in Europe during 2023, with 27.4 tourists for each inhabitant. Often called "''The Queen of
Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...
"'' Dubrovnik is considered one of the most popular destinations in the
Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...
and in
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
.


Names

The names ''Dubrovnik'' and ''Ragusa'' co-existed for several centuries. ''Ragusa'', recorded in various forms since at least the 10th century (in
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
, Dalmatian,
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
; in ), remained the official name of the
Republic of Ragusa The Republic of Ragusa, or the Republic of Dubrovnik, was an maritime republics, aristocratic maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik (''Ragusa'' in Italian and Latin; ''Raguxa'' in Venetian) in South Dalmatia (today in southernmost ...
until 1808, and of the city within the
Kingdom of Dalmatia The Kingdom of Dalmatia (; ; ) was a crown land of the Austrian Empire (1815–1867) and the Cisleithanian half of Austria-Hungary (1867–1918). It encompassed the entirety of the region of Dalmatia, with its capital at Zadar. History The Habs ...
until 1918, while ''Dubrovnik'', first recorded in the late 12th century, was in widespread use by the late 16th or early 17th century. The name ''Dubrovnik'' of the Adriatic city is first recorded in the
Charter of Ban Kulin The Charter of Ban Kulin ( bcs-Latn-Cyrl, Povelja Kulina bana, Повеља Кулина бана) was a trade agreement between the Banate of Bosnia and the Republic of Ragusa that effectively regulated Ragusan trade rights in Bosnia, written on ...
(1189). The most common explanation for the origin is from a
Proto-Slavic Proto-Slavic (abbreviated PSl., PS.; also called Common Slavic or Common Slavonic) is the unattested, reconstructed proto-language of all Slavic languages. It represents Slavic speech approximately from the 2nd millennium BC through the 6th ...
word meaning 'oak', and the term referring to 'oak wood' or 'oak forest', as means 'oakwood', 'forest'. The historical name ''Ragusa'' is recorded in the Greek form (, Latinized ) in the 10th century. It was recorded in various forms in the medieval period, ''Rausia'', ''Lavusa'', ''Labusa'', ''Raugia'', ''Rachusa''. Various attempts have been made to etymologize the name. Suggestions include derivation from Greek , "grape"; from Greek , "narrow passage"; Greek "ragged (of rocks)", () "fissure"; from the name of the Epirote tribe of the ''Rhogoi'', from an unidentified Illyrian substrate. A connection to the name of Sicilian Ragusa has also been proposed. It has been proposed by V. Orel that the
Proto-Albanian Proto-Albanian is the ancestral reconstructed language of Albanian, before the Gheg– Tosk dialectal diversification (before ). Albanoid and other Paleo-Balkan languages had their formative core in the Balkans after the Indo-European migrat ...
*''rāguša'' of Albanian '' rrush'' 'grape' is related to ''Ragusa'' or the source of the name. Putanec (1993) gives a review of etymological suggestion, and favours an explanation of the name as pre-Greek ("
Pelasgian The name Pelasgians (, ) was used by Classical Greece, Classical Greek writers to refer either to the predecessors of the Greeks, or to all the inhabitants of Greece before the Greeks#Origins, emergence of the Greeks. In general, "Pelasgian" h ...
"), from a root cognate to Greek "fissure", with a suffix ''-ussa'' also found in the Greek name of
Brač Brač is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, with an area of , making it the largest island in Dalmatia, and the third largest in the Adriatic. It is separated from the mainland by the Brač Channel, which is wide. The name of the city in the native
Dalmatian language Dalmatian or Dalmatic (, ) is a group of now-extinct Romance varieties that developed along the coast of Dalmatia. Over the centuries they were increasingly influenced, and then supplanted, by Croatian and Venetian. It has not been demonstr ...
, now extinct, was , as shown by a 1325 letter in Dalmatian. In Albanian, the city was historically referred to as '' Rush'' ( sq-definite, Rushi), from Latin ''Ragusium.'' The classical explanation of the name is due to
Constantine VII Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (; 17 May 905 – 9 November 959) was the fourth Byzantine emperor of the Macedonian dynasty, reigning from 6 June 913 to 9 November 959. He was the son of Emperor Leo VI and his fourth wife, Zoe Karbonopsina, an ...
's ''
De Administrando Imperio (; ) is a Greek-language work written by the 10th-century Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII. It is a domestic and foreign policy manual for the use of Constantine's son and successor, the Emperor Romanos II. It is a prominent example of Byz ...
'' (10th century). According to this account, Ragusa () is the foundation of the refugees from
Epidaurum Epidaurus (, ) or Epidauros was an ancient Greek colony founded sometime in the 6th century BC and renamed to Epidaurum during Roman rule in 228 BC, when it was part of the province of Illyricum and later of Dalmatia.Wilkes, J. J. The Illyrians ...
(
Ragusa Vecchia Cavtat (, ) is a village in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia. It is on the Adriatic Sea coast south of Dubrovnik and is the centre and the main settlement of Konavle municipality. History Antiquity The original city was founded by the ...
), a Greek city situated some to the south of Ragusa, when that city was destroyed in the Slavic incursions of the 7th century. The name is explained as a corruption of a
Dalmatae The Dalmatae, alternatively Delmatae, during the Roman period, were a group of Illyrian tribes in Dalmatia, contemporary southern Croatia and western Bosnia and Herzegovina. The region of Dalmatia takes its name from the tribe. The Delmatae ap ...
/
Romance Romance may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings ** Romantic orientation, the classification of the sex or gender with which a pers ...
word ''Lausa'', the name of the rocky island on which the city was built (connected by Constantine to Greek "rock, stone").


History


Origins

Dubrovnik was inhabited by the
Illyrian tribe This is a list of ancient tribes in the ancient territory of Illyria (; ). The name ''Illyrians'' seems to be the name of a single Illyrian tribe that was the first to come into contact with the ancient Greeks, causing the name Illyrians to be ap ...
of
Pleraei This is a list of ancient tribes in the ancient territory of Illyria (; ). The name ''Illyrians'' seems to be the name of a single Illyrian tribe that was the first to come into contact with the ancient Greeks, causing the name Illyrians to be ap ...
in ancient times. According to
Constantine Porphyrogenitus Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (; 17 May 905 – 9 November 959) was the fourth Byzantine emperor of the Macedonian dynasty, reigning from 6 June 913 to 9 November 959. He was the son of Emperor Leo VI and his fourth wife, Zoe Karbonopsina, an ...
's ''
De Administrando Imperio (; ) is a Greek-language work written by the 10th-century Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII. It is a domestic and foreign policy manual for the use of Constantine's son and successor, the Emperor Romanos II. It is a prominent example of Byz ...
'' ( 950), Ragusa was founded in the 7th century, named after a "rocky island" called ''Lausa'', by refugees from
Epidaurum Epidaurus (, ) or Epidauros was an ancient Greek colony founded sometime in the 6th century BC and renamed to Epidaurum during Roman rule in 228 BC, when it was part of the province of Illyricum and later of Dalmatia.Wilkes, J. J. The Illyrians ...
(
Ragusa Vecchia Cavtat (, ) is a village in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia. It is on the Adriatic Sea coast south of Dubrovnik and is the centre and the main settlement of Konavle municipality. History Antiquity The original city was founded by the ...
), a Roman city situated some to the south, when that city was destroyed by Slavs fighting with the Avars. It was one of the Dalmatian city-states. Excavations in 2007 revealed a
Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
basilica from the 8th century and parts of the
city walls A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as curtain walls with to ...
. The size of the old basilica clearly indicates that there was quite a large settlement at the time. There is also evidence for the presence of a settlement in the pre-Christian era, most notably the finding of ancient coins from the 3rd and 2nd century BC, as well as archeological fragments from the 1st century BC in the area of the old City port. Antun Ničetić, in his 1996 book ' (), expounds the theory that Dubrovnik was established by Greek sailors, as a station halfway between the two Greek settlements of
Budva Budva (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Будва, or ) is a town in the Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region of Montenegro. It had 27,445 inhabitants as of 2023, and is the centre of Budva Municipality. The coastal area around Budva, called the Budv ...
and
Korčula Korčula () is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea. It has an area of , is long and on average wide, and lies just off the Dalmatian coast. Its 15,522 inhabitants (2011) make it the second most populous Adriatic island after Krk. The populat ...
, apart from each of them.


Republic of Ragusa

After the fall of the
Ostrogothic Kingdom The Ostrogothic Kingdom, officially the Kingdom of Italy (), was a barbarian kingdom established by the Germanic Ostrogoths that controlled Italian peninsula, Italy and neighbouring areas between 493 and 553. Led by Theodoric the Great, the Ost ...
, the town came under the
protection Protection is any measure taken to guard something against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although ...
of the
Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...
. In the 12th and 13th centuries, Dubrovnik grew into an oligarchic republic. After the
Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...
, Dubrovnik came under the sovereignty of
Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
(1205–1358), which would give its institutions to the Dalmatian city. In 1240 Ragusa purchased the island of
Lastovo Lastovo () is an archipelago municipality in Dubrovnik-Neretva County in Croatia. The municipality consists of 46 islands with a total population of 792 people, of which 94.7% are ethnic Croats, and a land area of approximately . ''Lastovo Munic ...
from
Stefan Uroš I Stefan Uroš I ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Урош I; 1223 – 1 May 1277), known as Uroš the Great () was the King of Serbia from 1243 to 1276, succeeding his brother Stefan Vladislav. He was one of the most important rulers in Serbian history ...
, king of
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
, who had rights over the island as ruler of parts of
Zachlumia Zachlumia or Zachumlia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Zahumlje, Захумље, ), also Hum, was a medieval principality located in the modern-day regions of Herzegovina and southern Dalmatia (today parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, r ...
. After a fire destroyed most of the city on the night of August 16, 1296, a new urban plan was developed. By the Peace Treaty of Zadar in 1358, Dubrovnik achieved relative independence as a vassal-state of the
Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...
. Between the 14th century and 1808, Dubrovnik ruled itself as a free state, although it was a tributary from 1382 to 1804 of the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
and paid an annual tribute to its sultan. The Republic reached its peak in the 15th and 16th centuries, when its
thalassocracy A thalassocracy or thalattocracy, sometimes also maritime empire, is a state with primarily maritime realms, an empire at sea, or a seaborne empire. Traditional thalassocracies seldom dominate interiors, even in their home territories. Examples o ...
rivalled that of the
Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...
and other Italian maritime republics. There are also signs of a long established
Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...
population in the Ragusan hinterlands since at least the Medieval period. And a Ragusan document dating to 1285 states: "I heard a voice crying in the mountains in
Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...
" (Audivi unam vocem clamantem in monte in lingua albanesca). For centuries, Dubrovnik was an ally of
Ancona Ancona (, also ; ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region of central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona, homonymous province and of the region. The city is located northeast of Ro ...
, the other Adriatic
maritime republic The maritime republics (), also called merchant republics (), were Italian thalassocratic port cities which, starting from the Middle Ages, enjoyed political autonomy and economic prosperity brought about by their maritime activities. The ter ...
rival of Venice, which was itself the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
's chief rival for control of the Adriatic. This alliance enabled the two towns set on opposite sides of the Adriatic to resist attempts by the Venetians to make the Adriatic a "Venetian Bay", also controlling directly or indirectly all the Adriatic ports. Ancona and Dubrovnik developed an alternative trade route to the Venetian (Venice–
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
–
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
): starting in Dubrovnik it went on to Ancona, through
Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...
and ended in
Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...
. Ragusa was an important base for the traffic of the
Balkan slave trade The Balkan slave trade was the trade in slaves from the Balkans via Venetian slave traders across the Adriatic and Aegean Seas to Italy, Spain, and the Islamic Middle East, from the 7th century during the Early Middle Ages until the mid-15th ...
, from which slaves were transported from the Balkans across the Adriatic Sea to the
Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans and Anatolia, and covers an area of some . In the north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea, which in turn con ...
,The Cambridge World History of Slavery: Volume 2, AD 500–AD 1420. (2021). (n.p.): Cambridge University Press. p. 117-120 from which they were sold on to either
slavery in Spain Slavery in Spain began in the 15th century and reached its peak in the 16th century. The history of Spanish enslavement of Africans began with Portuguese captains Antão Gonçalves and Nuno Tristão in 1441. The first large group of African s ...
in the West or
slavery in Egypt Slavery in Egypt was practised until the early 20th century. It differed from slavery in ancient Egypt, being managed in accordance with Islamic law from the conquest of the Caliphate in the 7th century until the practice stopped in the ear ...
in the South. The Republic of Ragusa received its own Statutes as early as 1272, which, among other things, codified Roman practice and local customs. The Statutes included prescriptions for
town planning Urban planning (also called city planning in some contexts) is the process of developing and designing land use and the built environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas, such as transportatio ...
and the regulation of quarantine (for sanitary reasons). The Republic was an early adopter of what are now regarded as modern laws and institutions: a medical service was introduced in 1301, with the first
pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...
, still operating to this day, being opened in 1317. An
almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) is charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the Middle Ages. They were often built for the poor of a locality, for those who had held ce ...
was opened in 1347, and the first quarantine hospital (Lazarete) was established in 1377.
Slave trading The history of slavery spans many cultures, nationalities, and Slavery and religion, religions from ancient times to the present day. Likewise, its victims have come from many different ethnicities and religious groups. The social, economic, a ...
(
Balkan slave trade The Balkan slave trade was the trade in slaves from the Balkans via Venetian slave traders across the Adriatic and Aegean Seas to Italy, Spain, and the Islamic Middle East, from the 7th century during the Early Middle Ages until the mid-15th ...
) was abolished in 1418, and an
orphanage An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or abusi ...
opened in 1432. A
water supply system A water supply network or water supply system is a system of engineered hydrologic and hydraulic components that provide water supply. A water supply system typically includes the following: # A drainage basin (see water purification – sourc ...
, instead of a cistern, was constructed in 1438 by the Neapolitan architect and engineer Onofrio della Cava. He completed the aqueduct with two public fountains. He also built a number of mills along one of its branches. The city was ruled by the local
aristocracy Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense Economy, economic, Politics, political, and soc ...
which was of Latin-Dalmatian extraction and formed two
city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...
s. As usual for the time, they maintained a strict system of
social class A social class or social stratum is a grouping of people into a set of Dominance hierarchy, hierarchical social categories, the most common being the working class and the Bourgeoisie, capitalist class. Membership of a social class can for exam ...
es. The republic abolished the
slave trade Slave trade may refer to: * History of slavery - overview of slavery It may also refer to slave trades in specific countries, areas: * Al-Andalus slave trade * Atlantic slave trade ** Brazilian slave trade ** Bristol slave trade ** Danish sl ...
early in the 15th century and valued liberty highly. The city successfully balanced its sovereignty between the interests of Venice and the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
for centuries.
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
was originally used in official documents of the Republic.
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
came to use in the early 15th century. A variant of the Dalmatian language was among the spoken ones, and was influenced by Croatian and Italian. The presence of Croatian in everyday speech increased in the late 13th century, and in literary works in the mid-15th century. In the coming decades, Dubrovnik became a cradle of
Croatian literature Croatian literature refers to literary works attributed to the medieval and modern culture of the Croats, Croatia, and Croatian language, Croatian. Besides the modern language whose shape and orthography were standardized in the late 19th centu ...
. The economic wealth of the Republic was partially the result of the land it developed, but especially of seafaring trade. With the help of skilled diplomacy, Dubrovnik merchants travelled lands freely and the city had a huge fleet of
merchant ships A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are ...
(known as argosy) that travelled all over the world. From these travels they founded some settlements, from India (cf.
Ragusan trade with India Ragusan may refer to: * citizen of the Republic of Ragusa ** List of Ragusans Here follows a list of notable Ragusans and Rector (politics), Rectors of the Ragusan Republic, Republic of Ragusa (also known as the Republic of Dubrovnik), a Maritime ...
) to America, and brought parts of their culture and flora home with them. One of its keys to success was not conquering, but trading and sailing under a white flag with the word (freedom) prominently featured on it. The flag was adopted when slave trading was abolished in 1418. In search of Indian spices and textiles, merchants from Dubrovnik arrived in Goa, India, and settled in what is now called Gandauli. The people of Dubrovnik arrived in the Portuguese colony of Goa between 1530 and 1535, and after that they founded their own colony, Sao Braz, named after the patron saint of Dubrovnik, St. Blaise. The church was built around 1563 and was a replica of the original church of St. Blaise in Dubrovnik. About 12,000 inhabitants lived in São Braz and was a thriving colony until the 1570s when trade between Croats and Indians declined. Many
Converso A ''converso'' (; ; feminine form ''conversa''), "convert" (), was a Jew who converted to Catholicism in Spain or Portugal, particularly during the 14th and 15th centuries, or one of their descendants. To safeguard the Old Christian popula ...
s, Jews from Spain and
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
who converted to Christianity, were attracted to the city. In May 1544, a ship landed there filled exclusively with Portuguese refugees, as Balthasar de Faria reported to King John. During this time one of the most famous cannon and bell founders of his time worked in the city:
Ivan Rabljanin Ivan Krstitelj Rabljanin () (c. 1470–1540) was a cannon and bell founder in bronze; born in Rab, most of his works are in Dubrovnik. He made cannons for Italy, Spain and Republic of Dubrovnik The Republic of Ragusa, or the Republic of Dubr ...
(also known as Magister Johannes Baptista Arbensis de la Tolle). By 1571 Dubrovnik had sold its protection over some Christian settlements in other parts of the Ottoman Empire to France and
Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
. At that time there was also a colony of Dubrovnik in
Fes Fez () or Fes (; ) is a city in northern inland Morocco and the capital of the Fez-Meknes administrative region. It is one of the largest cities in Morocco, with a population of 1.256 million, according to the 2024 census. Located to the nort ...
in Morocco. The bishop of Dubrovnik was a Cardinal protector in 1571, at that time there were only 16 other countries which had Cardinal protectors. Dubrovnik was a tributary state of the Ottoman Empire at one time. From this, they gained benefits such as access to the
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
, paid less customs duties (they however needed to make tribute payments) and had the diplomatic support of the Turks in trade disputes against the Venetians. This status also allowed increased trade with the inland regions through the Balkan overland trade which made merchants from Dubrovnik to build up a strong network unequaled with other Christian states. The Republic gradually declined due to a combination of a
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
shipping crisis and the catastrophic earthquake of 1667 that killed over 5,000 citizens, levelled most of the public buildings and, consequently, negatively affected the
well-being Well-being is what is Intrinsic value (ethics), ultimately good for a person. Also called "welfare" and "quality of life", it is a measure of how well life is going for someone. It is a central goal of many individual and societal endeavors. ...
of the Republic. In 1699, the Republic was forced to sell two mainland patches of its territory to the Ottomans in order to avoid being caught in the clash with advancing Venetian forces. Today this strip of land belongs to
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
and is that country's only direct access to the Adriatic. A highlight of Dubrovnik's diplomacy was the involvement in the
American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...
.


Early modern period

On 27 May 1806, the forces of the Empire of France occupied the neutral
Republic of Ragusa The Republic of Ragusa, or the Republic of Dubrovnik, was an maritime republics, aristocratic maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik (''Ragusa'' in Italian and Latin; ''Raguxa'' in Venetian) in South Dalmatia (today in southernmost ...
. Upon entering Ragusan territory without permission and approaching the capital, the French General
Jacques Lauriston Jacques Alexandre Bernard Law, marquis de Lauriston (; 1 February 1768 – 12 June 1828) was a French soldier and diplomat of Scottish and Portuguese descent, and a general officer in the French Army during the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in Po ...
demanded that his troops be allowed to rest and be provided with food and drink in the city before continuing on to take possession of their holdings in the
Bay of Kotor The Bay of Kotor ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Boka kotorska, Бока которска, separator=" / ", ), also known as the Boka ( sh-Cyrl, Бока), is a winding bay of the Adriatic Sea in southwestern Montenegro and the region of Montenegro concentrated a ...
. However, this was a deception because as soon as they entered the city, they proceeded to occupy it in the name of Napoleon. Almost immediately after the beginning of the French occupation, Russian and Montenegrin troops entered Ragusan territory and began fighting the French army, raiding and pillaging everything along the way and culminating in a siege of the occupied city during which 3,000 cannonballs fell on it. In 1808
Marshal Marmont Auguste Frédéric Louis Viesse de Marmont, duc de Raguse (; 20 July 1774 – 22 March 1852) was a French general and nobleman who rose to the rank of Marshal of the Empire and was awarded the title (). In the Peninsular War Marmont succeeded th ...
issued a proclamation abolishing the
Republic of Ragusa The Republic of Ragusa, or the Republic of Dubrovnik, was an maritime republics, aristocratic maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik (''Ragusa'' in Italian and Latin; ''Raguxa'' in Venetian) in South Dalmatia (today in southernmost ...
and amalgamating its territory into the French Empire's client state, the
Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (; ) was a kingdom in Northern Italy (formerly the Italian Republic) that was a client state of Napoleon's French Empire. It was fully influenced by revolutionary France and ended with Napoleon's defeat and fall. Its gover ...
. Marmont claimed the newly created title of "Duke of Ragusa" () and in 1810 Ragusa, together with
Istria Istria ( ; Croatian language, Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; Italian language, Italian and Venetian language, Venetian: ; ; Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian: ; ; ) is the largest peninsula within the Adriatic Sea. Located at th ...
and
Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...
, went to the newly created French
Illyrian Provinces The Illyrian Provinces were an autonomous province of France during the First French Empire that existed under Napoleonic Rule from 1809 to 1814. The province encompassed large parts of modern Italy and Croatia, extending their reach further e ...
. After seven years of French occupation, encouraged by the desertion of French soldiers after the failed invasion of Russia and the reentry of Austria in the
war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
, all the social classes of the Ragusan people rose up in a general insurrection, led by the patricians, against the Napoleonic invaders. On 18 June 1813, together with British forces they forced the surrender of the French garrison of the island of
Šipan Šipan (), nicknamed the Golden Island, is an island located in southern Croatia, more specifically in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County. It is located northwest of Dubrovnik, and is separated from the mainland coast by the Koločep Channel, which ...
, soon also the heavily fortified town of
Ston Ston () is a settlement and a municipality in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia, located at the south of isthmus of the Pelješac peninsula. History Because of its geopolitical and strategic position, Ston has had a rich history since ...
and the island of
Lopud Lopud () is a small island off the coast of Dalmatia, southern Croatia. Lopud is economically the most developed of the Elaphiti Islands, and can be reached by boat from Dubrovnik, Trsteno, Orašac and Zaton. The island is famous for its san ...
, after which the insurrection spread throughout the mainland, starting with
Konavle Konavle () is a municipality and a small Dalmatian subregion located southeast of Dubrovnik, Croatia. The region is administratively part of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County and the center of the municipality is Cavtat. Demographics The total muni ...
. They then laid siege to the occupied city, helped by the British
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
, who had enjoyed unopposed domination over the Adriatic sea, under the command of Captain
William Hoste Captain Sir William Hoste, 1st Baronet, KCB (26 August 17806 December 1828) was a Royal Navy officer who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. A protégé of Lord Nelson, he was one of the most talented frigate captains of the ...
, with his ships HMS ''Bacchante'' and . Soon the population inside the city joined the insurrection. The
Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...
sent a force under General Todor Milutinović offering to help their Ragusan allies. However, as was soon shown, their intention was to in fact replace the French occupation of Ragusa with their own. Seducing one of the temporary governors of the Republic,
Biagio Bernardo Caboga Biagio Bernardo Caboga (,) (1779-1854) was a Ragusan count (''conte'') and commander. He participated in the Ragusan uprising against the French, who had occupied since 1806 (abolished in 1808), in 1813–14. With British support, he led the up ...
, with promises of power and influence (which were later cut short and who died in ignominy, branded as a traitor by his people), they managed to convince him that the gate to the east was to be kept closed to the Ragusan forces and to let the Austrian forces enter the City from the west, without any Ragusan soldiers, once the French garrison of 500 troops under General Joseph de Montrichard had surrendered. After this, the Flag of Saint Blaise was flown alongside the Austrian and British colors, but only for two days because, on 30 January, General Milutinović ordered Mayor Sabo Giorgi to lower it. Overwhelmed by a feeling of deep patriotic pride, Giorgi, the last Rector of the Republic, refused to do so "for the masses had hoisted it". Subsequent events proved that Austria took every possible opportunity to invade the entire coast of the eastern Adriatic, from Venice to
Kotor Kotor (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Котор, ), historically known as Cattaro (from Italian language, Italian: ), is a town in Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region of Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Bay of Kotor. The city has ...
. The Austrians did everything in their power to eliminate the Ragusa issue at the
Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...
. Ragusan representative Miho Bona, elected at the last meeting of the Major Council, was denied participation in the Congress, while Milutinović, prior to the final agreement of the allies, assumed complete control of the city. Regardless of the fact that the government of the Ragusan Republic never signed any capitulation nor relinquished its sovereignty, which according to the rules of
Klemens von Metternich Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar, Prince of Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein ( ; 15 May 1773 – 11 June 1859), known as Klemens von Metternich () or Prince Metternich, was a German statesman and diplomat in the service of the Austrian Empire. ...
that Austria adopted for the Vienna Congress should have meant that the Republic would be restored, the Austrian Empire managed to convince the other allies to allow it to keep the territory of the Republic. While many smaller and less significant cities and former countries were permitted an audience, that right was refused to the representative of the Ragusan Republic. All of this was in blatant contradiction to the solemn treaties that the Austrian Emperors signed with the Republic: the first on 20 August 1684, in which Leopold I promises and guarantees inviolate liberty ("inviolatam libertatem") to the Republic, and the second in 1772, in which the Empress
Maria Theresa Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position suo jure, in her own right. She was the ...
promises protection and respect of the inviolability of the freedom and territory of the Republic.


Languages

The
official language An official language is defined by the Cambridge English Dictionary as, "the language or one of the languages that is accepted by a country's government, is taught in schools, used in the courts of law, etc." Depending on the decree, establishmen ...
until 1472 was
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
. As a consequence of the increasing migration of Slavic population from inland Dalmatia, the language spoken by much of the population was Croatian, typically referred to in Dubrovnik's historical documents simply as "Slavic". To oppose the demographic change due to increased Slavic immigration from the Balkans, the native Romance population of Ragusa, which made up the oligarchic government of the Republic, tried to prohibit the use of any Slavic languages in official councils. Archeologists have also discovered medieval
Glagolitic The Glagolitic script ( , , ''glagolitsa'') is the oldest known Slavic alphabet. It is generally agreed that it was created in the 9th century for the purpose of translating liturgical texts into Old Church Slavonic by Saints Cyril and Methodi ...
tablets near Dubrovnik, such as the
inscription of Župa Dubrovačka Inscription of Župa Dubrovačka () is a Glagolitic script, Glagolitic inscription dated to the 11th century. The inscription was found in 2007 during an archeological excavation of graves close to the Church of Saint George located between the v ...
, indicating that the Glagolitic script was also likely once used in the city. The
Italian language Italian (, , or , ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family. It evolved from the colloquial Latin of the Roman Empire. Italian is the least divergent language from Latin, together with Sardinian language, Sardinian. It is ...
as spoken in the republic was heavily influenced by the
Venetian language Venetian, also known as wider Venetian or Venetan ( or ), is a Romance languages, Romance language spoken natively in the northeast of Italy,Ethnologue mostly in Veneto, where most of the five million inhabitants can understand it. It is som ...
and the
Tuscan dialect Tuscan ( ; ) is a set of Italo-Dalmatian varieties of Romance spoken in Tuscany, Corsica, and Sardinia. Standard Italian is based on Tuscan, specifically on its Florentine dialect, and it became the language of culture throughout Italy be ...
. Italian took root among the Dalmatian-speaking merchant upper classes, as a result of Venetian influence which strengthened the original Latin element of the population. On 14 July 1284 in Ragusa, the
Albanian language Albanian (Endonym and exonym, endonym: , , or ) is an Indo-European languages, Indo-European language and the only surviving representative of the Albanoid, Albanoid branch, which belongs to the Paleo-Balkan languages, Paleo-Balkan group. It ...
was attested for the first time in history when a crime witness testified: "I heard a voice crying on the mountain in the Albanian language" (
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
: ''Audivi unam vocem, clamantem in monte in lingua albanesca'').


Austrian rule

When the
Habsburg Empire The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...
annexed these provinces after the 1815
Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...
, the new authorities implemented a bureaucratic administration, established the
Kingdom of Dalmatia The Kingdom of Dalmatia (; ; ) was a crown land of the Austrian Empire (1815–1867) and the Cisleithanian half of Austria-Hungary (1867–1918). It encompassed the entirety of the region of Dalmatia, with its capital at Zadar. History The Habs ...
, which had its own Sabor (Diet) or Parliament which is the oldest Croatian political institution based in the city of
Zadar Zadar ( , ), historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian, ; see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Croatia. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar ...
, and political parties such as the
Autonomist Party The Autonomist Party (; ) was an Italian-Dalmatianist political party in the Dalmatian political scene, that existed for around 70 years of the 19th century and until World War I. Its goal was to maintain the autonomy of the Kingdom of Dalmati ...
and the People's Party. They introduced a series of modifications intended to slowly centralise the bureaucratic, tax, religious, educational, and trade structure. These steps largely failed, despite the intention of wanting to stimulate the economy. Once the personal, political and economic damage of
the Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
had been overcome, new movements began to form in the region, calling for a political reorganisation of the Adriatic along national lines. The combination of these two forces—a flawed Habsburg administrative system and new national movement claiming ethnicity as the founding block toward a community—posed a particularly perplexing problem: Dalmatia was a province ruled by the German-speaking
Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...
, with bilingual (Croatian- and Italian-speaking) elites that dominated the general population consisting of a Slavic Catholic majority, as well as a Slavic Orthodox minority. In 1815, the former Dubrovnik government (its noble assembly) met for the last time in Ljetnikovac in
Mokošica Mokošica is a settlement in the city of Dubrovnik in Croatia. As a suburb, it consists of the old ''Mokošica'' and the new Mokošica ('' Nova Mokošica''). Name Mokošica was named after Mokosh, the goddess of fertility and protector of wome ...
. Once again, extreme measures were taken to re-establish the Republic, but it was all in vain. After the fall of the Republic most of the aristocracy was recognised by the Austrian Empire. In 1832, Baron Šišmundo Getaldić-Gundulić (''Sigismondo Ghetaldi-Gondola'') (1795–1860) was elected Mayor of Dubrovnik, serving for 13 years; the Austrian government granted him the title of "Baron". Count Rafael Pucić (''Raffaele Pozza'') (1828–1890) was elected for first time Podestà of Dubrovnik in the year 1869 after this was re-elected in 1872, 1875, 1882, 1884) and elected twice into the Dalmatian Council, 1870, 1876. The victory of the Nationalists in
Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...
in 1882 strongly affected in the areas of Korčula and Dubrovnik. It was greeted by the mayor (podestà) of Dubrovnik Rafael Pucić, the National Reading Club of Dubrovnik, the Workers Association of Dubrovnik and the review "Slovinac" as well as by the communities of Kuna and Orebić, the latter one getting the nationalist government even before Split. In 1901, the narrow-gauge ( 760 mm) railway line was opened primarily to connect the port city of Dubrovnik with the interior of Bosnia and Herzegovina and further into Europe. The line was operational from 1901 to 1976. In 1905, the Committee for establishing electric
tram service A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...
, headed by Luko Bunić was established. Other members of the Committee were Ivo Papi, Miho Papi, Artur Saraka, Mato Šarić, Antun Pugliesi, Mato Gracić, Ivo Degiulli, Ernest Katić and Antun Milić. The tram service in Dubrovnik existed from 1910 to 1970.
Pero Čingrija Pero Čingrija (24 August 1837 – 13 July 1921) was a Croatian politician. As a long-time mayor of Dubrovnik and leader of the People's Party, he was one of the most prominent Dubrovnik and Dalmatian politicians at the turn of the 20th century. ...
(1837–1921), one of the leaders of the People's Party in Dalmatia, played the main role in the merger of the People's Party and the Party of Right into a single Croatian Party in 1905.


Yugoslav period (1918–1991)

With the fall of
Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
in 1918, the city was incorporated into the new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (later renamed to
Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () h ...
). Dubrovnik became one of the 33
oblasts An oblast ( or ) is a type of administrative division in Bulgaria and several post-Soviet states, including Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Historically, it was used in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. The term ''oblast'' is often translated i ...
of the Kingdom. When Yugoslavia was divided among nine banovinas in 1929, the city became part of the
Zeta Banovina The Zeta Banovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Zetska banovina, Зетска бановина), was a province ( banovina) of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1929 and 1941. This province consisted of all of present-day Montenegro as well as ...
. In 1939, Dubrovnik became part of the newly created
Banovina of Croatia The Banovina of Croatia or Banate of Croatia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=, Banovina Hrvatska, Бановина Хрватска) was an administrative subdivision ( banovina) of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1939 and 1941. It was formed by a m ...
. During the
World War II in Yugoslavia World War II in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia began on 6 April 1941, when the country was Invasion of Yugoslavia, invaded and swiftly conquered by Axis powers, Axis forces and partitioned among Nazi Germany, Germany, Fascist Italy (1922–1943), It ...
, Dubrovnik became part of the
Axis An axis (: axes) may refer to: Mathematics *A specific line (often a directed line) that plays an important role in some contexts. In particular: ** Coordinate axis of a coordinate system *** ''x''-axis, ''y''-axis, ''z''-axis, common names ...
puppet state A puppet state, puppet régime, puppet government or dummy government is a State (polity), state that is ''de jure'' independent but ''de facto'' completely dependent upon an outside Power (international relations), power and subject to its ord ...
,
Independent State of Croatia The Independent State of Croatia (, NDH) was a World War II–era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist Italy. It was established in parts of Axis occupation of Yugoslavia, occupied Yugoslavia on 10 April 1941, ...
(NDH), occupied by the
Italian Army The Italian Army ( []) is the Army, land force branch of the Italian Armed Forces. The army's history dates back to the Italian unification in the 1850s and 1860s. The army fought in colonial engagements in China and Italo-Turkish War, Libya. It ...
first, and by the
German Army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...
after 8 September 1943. There were clashes between Italian and German troops in Dubrovnik when the Germans took over. In October 1944,
Yugoslav Partisans The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian language, Macedonian, and Slovene language, Slovene: , officially the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska i partizanski odr ...
liberated Dubrovnik, arresting more than 300 citizens and executing 53 without trial; this event came to be known, after the small island on which it occurred, as the
Daksa executions The Daksa massacre,
. Communist leadership during the next several years continued political prosecutions, which culminated on 12 April 1947 with the capture and imprisonment of more than 90 citizens of Dubrovnik. After the war the remaining members of
Dalmatian Italians Dalmatian Italians (; ) are the historical Italian national minority living in the region of Dalmatia, now part of Croatia and Montenegro. Historically, Italian language-speaking Dalmatians accounted for 12.5% of population in 1865, 5.8% in 18 ...
of Dubrovnik left Yugoslavia towards Italy ( Istrian-Dalmatian exodus). Under communism Dubrovnik became part of
SR Croatia The Socialist Republic of Croatia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Hrvatska, Социјалистичка Република Хрватска), commonly abbreviated as SR Croatia and referred to as simply Croatia, was a ...
within
SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...
. After the World War II, the city started to attract crowds of tourists–even more after 1979, when the city joined the
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
list of
World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
s. The growth of tourism also led to the decision to demilitarise the Dubrovnik Old Town. The income from tourism was pivotal in the post-war development of the city, including its airport. The
Dubrovnik Summer Festival The Dubrovnik Summer Festival (; ) is an annually-held summer festival instituted in 1950 in Dubrovnik, Croatia. It is held every year between 10 July and 25 August. On more than 70 open-air venues of Renaissance-Baroque city of Dubrovnik a rich ...
was founded in 1950. The
Adriatic Highway The Adriatic Highway () is a road that stretches along the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea and is part of the European route E65. The road passes through Croatia, with smaller stretches through Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro and end ...
(''Magistrala'') was opened in 1965 after a decade of works, connecting Dubrovnik with
Rijeka Rijeka (; Fiume ( �fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman dialect, Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Ba ...
along the whole coastline, and giving a boost to the tourist development of the Croatian Riviera.


Siege of Dubrovnik and its consequences

In 1991, Croatia and
Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
, which at that time were republics within SFR Yugoslavia, declared their independence. The Socialist Republic of Croatia was renamed as the
Republic of Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Mont ...
. Despite the
demilitarisation Demilitarisation or demilitarization may mean the reduction of state armed forces; it is the opposite of militarisation in many respects. For instance, the demilitarisation of Northern Ireland entailed the reduction of British security and milita ...
of the Old Town in early 1970s in an attempt to prevent it from ever becoming a casualty of war, following Croatia's independence in 1991,
Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA/; Macedonian language, Macedonian, Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian language, Croatian and ; , J ...
(JNA)–by then composed primarily of
Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of Serbia, history, and Serbian lan ...
–attacked the city. The new
Croatian government The Government of Croatia (), formally the Government of the Republic of Croatia (), commonly abbreviated to Croatian Government (), is the main executive branch of government in Croatia. It is led by the president of the Government (), infor ...
set up a military outpost in the city itself.
Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...
–led by
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Momir Bulatović Momir Bulatović ( sh-Cyrl, Момир Булатовић; 21 September 1956 – 30 June 2019) was a Yugoslav and Montenegrin politician. He was the first president of the Republic of Montenegro from 1990 to 1998, after which he served as the Pr ...
and
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Milo Đukanović Milo Đukanović (, ; born 15 February 1962) is a Montenegrin politician who served as the President of Montenegro from 2018 to 2023, previously serving in the role from 1998 to 2002. He also served as the Prime Minister of Montenegro (1991–19 ...
, who came to power in the Anti-bureaucratic revolution and were allied to
Slobodan Milošević Slobodan Milošević ( sr-Cyrl, Слободан Милошевић, ; 20 August 1941 – 11 March 2006) was a Yugoslav and Serbian politician who was the President of Serbia between 1989 and 1997 and President of the Federal Republic of Yugos ...
in
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
–declared that Dubrovnik should not remain in Croatia. At the time most residents of Dubrovnik had come to identify as Croatian, with
Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of Serbia, history, and Serbian lan ...
accounting for 6.8 percent of the population. On 1 October 1991, Dubrovnik was attacked by the JNA resulting in a siege that lasted for seven months. The heaviest artillery attack was on 6 December with 19 people killed and 60 wounded. The number of casualties in the conflict, according to the
Croatian Red Cross The Croatian Red Cross () is the national Red Cross Society of Croatia. The organization has over 370,000 volunteer members, as well as 550 professionals. The Red Cross has been active in the country since 1878. External links Croatian Red Cros ...
, was 114 killed civilians, among them poet
Milan Milišić Milan Milišić (6 July 1941 – 5 October 1991) was a Yugoslav poet, translator, author and journalist from Dubrovnik. He wrote several volumes of poetry and also plays, essays, travel literature, a novel and translated, among others, J. R. R. To ...
. Foreign newspapers were criticised for placing heavier attention on the damage suffered by the Old Town than on human casualties. Nonetheless, the artillery attacks on Dubrovnik damaged 56% of its buildings to some degree, as the historic walled city, a
UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
, sustained 650 hits by artillery rounds. The
Croatian Army The Croatian Army ( or HKoV) is the land force branch of the Croatian Armed Forces. It is numerically the largest of the three branches of the Croatian Armed Forces. The HKoV is the main force for the defense of the country against external threa ...
lifted the siege in May 1992, and liberated Dubrovnik's surroundings by the end of October, but the danger of sudden attacks by the JNA lasted for another three years. Following the end of the
war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
, damage caused by the shelling of the Old Town was repaired. Adhering to UNESCO guidelines, repairs were performed in the original style. Most of the reconstruction work was done between 1995 and 1999. The inflicted damage can be seen on a chart near the city gate, showing all artillery hits during the siege, and is clearly visible from high points around the city in the form of the more brightly coloured new roofs. The
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was a body of the United Nations that was established to prosecute the war crimes in the Yugoslav Wars, war crimes that had been committed during the Yugoslav Wars and to tr ...
(ICTY) issued indictments for JNA generals and officers involved in the bombing. General
Pavle Strugar Pavle Strugar ( sr-Cyrl, Павле Стругар; 13 July 1933 – 12 December 2018) was a Montenegrin general in the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) who was found guilty of war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslav ...
, who coordinated the attack on the city, was sentenced to a seven-and-a-half-year prison term by the tribunal for his role in the attack.


Post-war Dubrovnik in Republic of Croatia

The
1996 Croatia USAF CT-43 crash On 3 April 1996, a United States Air Force Boeing CT-43A (Flight IFO-21) crashed on approach to Dubrovnik, Croatia, while on an official trade mission. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-200 originally built as a T-43A navigational trainer and later co ...
, near
Dubrovnik Airport Dubrovnik Ruđer Bošković Airport (; ), also referred to as Čilipi Airport (), is the international airport of Dubrovnik, Croatia. The airport is located approximately 15.5 km (9.5 mi) from Dubrovnik city center, near Čilipi. It was ...
, killed everyone on a
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
jet, including
United States Secretary of Commerce The United States secretary of commerce (SecCom) is the head of the United States Department of Commerce. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to commerce. The secretary rep ...
Ron Brown Ronald Harmon Brown (August 1, 1941 – April 3, 1996) was an American politician and lobbyist who served as the 30th United States Secretary of Commerce during the first term of President Bill Clinton. Before this, he was chairman of the Democ ...
, ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' Frankfurt Bureau chief
Nathaniel C. Nash Nathaniel is an English variant of the biblical Hebrew name Nathanael. It can be a given or surname. People with the name Nathaniel Given name * Nathaniel Archibald (1952–2018), American basketball player * Nate Archibald (born 1948), Americ ...
, and 33 other people. In October 2023, Dubrovnik joined European Network of Saint James Way Paths, with a 147-kilometer pilgrimage route "Camino Dubrovnik-
Međugorje Medjugorje (, ) is a village in the municipality of Čitluk in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since 1981, it has become a popular site of Catholic pilgrimage due to Our ...
", expected to be open to visitors in May 2024.


Geography

Dubrovnik is located in the southern tip of the
Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...
region of
Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
in the
Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...
. It is part of the
Dubrovnik-Neretva County The Dubrovnik-Neretva County (; , ) is the southernmost county of Croatia. The county seat is Dubrovnik and other large towns are Korčula, Metković, Opuzen and Ploče. The Municipality of Neum, which belongs to neighbouring Bosnia and Herz ...
and borders the municipality of Dubrovačko Primorje to the north, more specifically the Majkovi village.


Islands

There are several islands (part of the Elaphiti Islands archipelago) off the coast of Dubrovnik, including from north to south (the islands in bold are larger and populated, and most of the others are uninhabited): * Olipa * Tajan (Jakljan), Tajan * Mišnjak (Šipan), Mišnjak * Jakljan *
Šipan Šipan (), nicknamed the Golden Island, is an island located in southern Croatia, more specifically in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County. It is located northwest of Dubrovnik, and is separated from the mainland coast by the Koločep Channel, which ...
* Crkvina (island), Crkvina * Kosmeč * Ruda (island), Ruda *
Lopud Lopud () is a small island off the coast of Dalmatia, southern Croatia. Lopud is economically the most developed of the Elaphiti Islands, and can be reached by boat from Dubrovnik, Trsteno, Orašac and Zaton. The island is famous for its san ...
* Koločep * Daksa (island), Daksa * Grebeni (island), Grebeni * Sveti Andrija (Dubrovnik), Sveti Andrija Another island disputedly part of the Elaphiti Islands is: * Lokrum


Climate

Dubrovnik has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification, Köppen: ''Csa''). Dubrovnik has hot, muggy, relatively dry summers and mild to cool wet winters. The Bora (wind), bora wind blows cold gusts down the Adriatic coast between October and April, and thundery conditions are common year round, even in summer, when they interrupt the warm, sunny days. The air temperatures can slightly vary, depending on the area or region. Typically, in July and August daytime maximum temperatures reach , and at night drop to approximately . In spring and autumn, maximum temperatures are typically between and . Dubrovnik has the mildest winters of any Croatian city, with daytime temperatures around in the coldest months. Snow in Dubrovnik is very rare. Since records began in 1961, the highest temperature recorded at the local weather station at an elevation of was , on 7 August 2012. The coldest temperature was , on 14 January 1968.


Heritage

The annual
Dubrovnik Summer Festival The Dubrovnik Summer Festival (; ) is an annually-held summer festival instituted in 1950 in Dubrovnik, Croatia. It is held every year between 10 July and 25 August. On more than 70 open-air venues of Renaissance-Baroque city of Dubrovnik a rich ...
is a 45-day-long cultural event with live plays, concerts and games. It has been awarded a Gold International Trophy for Quality (2007) by the Editorial Office in collaboration with the Trade Leaders Club. The patron saint of the city is Saint Blaise, Sveti Vlaho (Saint Blaise), whose statues are seen around the city. He has an importance similar to that of Mark the Evangelist, St. Mark the Evangelist to Venice. One of the larger churches in the city is named after Saint Blaise. February 3 is the feast of Sveti Vlaho. Every year the city of Dubrovnik celebrates the holiday with Mass, parades, and festivities that last for several days. The Old Town of Dubrovnik is depicted on the Obverse and reverse, reverse of the Croatian 50 Croatian kuna, kuna banknote, issued in 1993 and 2002. The city boasts many old buildings, such as the Trsteno, Arboretum Trsteno, the oldest arboretum in the world, which dates back to before 1492. Also, the third-oldest European
pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...
and the oldest still in operation, having been founded in 1317, is in Dubrovnik, at the Little Brothers monastery. In history, many Conversos (Marranos) were attracted to Dubrovnik, formerly a considerable seaport. In May 1544, a ship landed there filled exclusively with Portugal, Portuguese refugees, as Balthasar de Faria reported to King John. Another admirer of Dubrovnik, George Bernard Shaw, visited the city in 1929 and said: "If you want to see heaven on earth, come to Dubrovnik." In the bay of Dubrovnik is the wooded island of Lokrum, where according to legend, Richard I of England, Richard the Lionheart, King of England, was cast ashore after being shipwrecked in 1192. The island includes a fortress, botanical garden, monastery and Nude beach, naturist beach. Among the many tourist destinations are a few beaches. Banje, Dubrovnik's main public beach, is home to the Eastwest Beach Club. There is also Copacabana Beach, a stony beach on the Lapad peninsula, named after the popular beach in Copacabana (Rio de Janeiro), Rio de Janeiro. By 2018, the city had to take steps to reduce the excessive number of tourists, especially in the Old Town. One method to moderate the overcrowding was to stagger the arrival/departure times of cruise ships to spread the number of visitors more evenly during the week. In 2023, Dubrovnik's mayor closed the terrace of a bar in Stradun for the nuisance it created for the neighborhood and announced a ban on wheeled luggage in the old town to limit noise on paved streets of the Old Town.


Important monuments

Few of Dubrovnik's Renaissance buildings survived the earthquake of 1667 but enough remained to give an idea of the city's architectural heritage. The finest Renaissance highlight is the Sponza Palace which dates from the 16th century and is currently used to house the National Archives. The Rector's Palace is a Gothic-Renaissance structure that displays finely carved capitals and an ornate staircase. It now houses a museum. Its façade is depicted on the Obverse and reverse, reverse of the Croatian 50 Croatian kuna, kuna banknote, issued in 1993 and 2002. The St. Saviour Church, Dubrovnik, St. Saviour Church is another remnant of the Renaissance period, next to the much-visited Franciscan Church and Monastery (Dubrovnik), Franciscan Church and Monastery. The Franciscan monastery's library possesses 30,000 volumes, 216 incunabula, and 1,500 valuable handwritten documents. Exhibits include a 15th-century silver-gilt cross and silver thurible, an 18th-century crucifix from Jerusalem, a martyrology (1541) by Bemardin Gucetic and illuminated psalters. St Blaise's church was built in the 18th century in honour of Dubrovnik's patron saint. The baroque Dubrovnik Cathedral was built in the 18th century and houses relics of Saint Blaise. The city's Dominican Monastery resembles a fortress on the outside and the interior contains an art museum and a Gothic-Romanesque church. The Dominican monastery has a library with 216 incunable, incunabula, illustrated manuscripts, an archive and an art collection. The Neapolitan architect and engineer Onofrio della Cava completed the aqueduct with two public fountains, both built in 1438. Close to the Pile Gate stands the Big Onofrio's Fountain in the middle of a small square. It may have been inspired by the former Romanesque baptistry of the former cathedral in Bunić Square. The sculptural elements were lost in the earthquake of 1667. Water jets gush out of the mouth of the sixteen Mascaron (architecture), mascarons. The Little Onofrio's Fountain stands at the eastern side of the Placa, supplying water to the market place in the Luža Square. The sculptures were made by the Milanese artist Pietro di Martino (who also sculpted the ornaments in the Rector's Palace and made a statue – now lost – for the Franciscan church). The Dubrovnik Bell Tower, built in 1444, is one of the symbols of the free city state of Ragusa. It was built by the local architects Grubačević, Utišenović and Radončić. It was rebuilt in 1929 as it had lost its stability through an earthquake and was in danger of falling. The brass face of the clock shows the phases of the moon. Two human figures strike the bell every hour. The tower stands next to the House of the Main Guard, also built in Gothic style. It was the residence of the admiral, commander-in-chief of the army. The Baroque portal was built between 1706 and 1708 by the Venetian architect Marino Gropelli (who also built St Blaise's church). In 1418, the Republic of Ragusa, as Dubrovnik was then named, erected a statue of Roland (Ital. Orlando) as a symbol of loyalty to Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Sigismund of Luxembourg (1368–1437), King of Hungary and Croatia (as of 1387), Prince-Elector of Brandenburg (between 1378 and 1388 and again between 1411 and 1415), German King (as of 1411), King of Bohemia (as of 1419) and Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (as of 1433), who helped by a successful war alliance against Venice to retain Ragusa's independence. It stands in the middle of Luža Square. Roland statues were typical symbols of city autonomy or independence, often erected under Sigismund in his Electorate of Brandenburg. In 1419 the sculptor Bonino of Milano, with the help of local craftsmen, replaced the first Roland with the present Gothic statue. Its forearm was for a long time the unit of measure in Dubrovnik: one ell of Dubrovnik is equal to . File:Saint Blaise's Church, Dubrovnik - September 2017.jpg, Saint Blaise's Church File:Saint Ignatius Church, Dubrovnik - September 2017.jpg, Saint Ignatius Church, part of former Jesuit ''Collegium Ragusinum'' File:Cathedral of the Assumption, Dubrovnik 05.jpg, Cathedral of the Assumption File:Franciscan Monastery in Dubrovnik 01.jpg, The Franciscan Monastery File:Main street-Dubrovnik-2.jpg, Stradun (street), Stradun, Dubrovnik's main street File:Clock Tower of Dubrovnik 01.jpg, Dubrovnik Bell Tower


Walls of Dubrovnik

A feature of Dubrovnik is its walls which run almost around the city. The walls are thick on the landward side but are much thinner on the seaward side. The system of turrets and towers was intended to protect the vulnerable city. The walls of Dubrovnik have also been a popular filming location for the fictional city of King's Landing in the HBO television series, ''Game of Thrones''. The walls have been visited by 1.3 million people in 2018.


Demographics

The total population of the city is 41,562 (census 2021), in the following naselje, settlements: * Bosanka, population 139 * Brsečine, population 96 * Čajkovica, population 160 * Čajkovići, population 26 * Donje Obuljeno, population 210 * Dubravica, Dubrovnik, Dubravica, population 37 * Dubrovnik, population 28,434 * Gornje Obuljeno, population 124 * Gromača, population 146 * Kliševo, population 54 * Knežica, Croatia, Knežica, population 133 * Koločep, population 163 * Komolac, population 320 *
Lopud Lopud () is a small island off the coast of Dalmatia, southern Croatia. Lopud is economically the most developed of the Elaphiti Islands, and can be reached by boat from Dubrovnik, Trsteno, Orašac and Zaton. The island is famous for its san ...
, population 249 * Lozica, Croatia, Lozica, population 146 * Ljubač, Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Ljubač, population 69 *
Mokošica Mokošica is a settlement in the city of Dubrovnik in Croatia. As a suburb, it consists of the old ''Mokošica'' and the new Mokošica ('' Nova Mokošica''). Name Mokošica was named after Mokosh, the goddess of fertility and protector of wome ...
, population 1,924 * Mravinjac, Croatia, Mravinjac, population 88 * Mrčevo, Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Mrčevo, population 90 * Nova Mokošica, population 6,016 * Orašac, Croatia, Orašac, population 631 * Osojnik, Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Osojnik, population 301 * Petrovo Selo (Dubrovnik), Petrovo Selo, population 23 * Pobrežje, Croatia, Pobrežje, population 118 * Prijevor, Dubrovnik, Prijevor, population 453 * Rožat, population 340 * Suđurađ, population 207 * Sustjepan, population 323 * Šipanska Luka, population 211 * Šumet, population 176 * Trsteno, population 222 * Zaton, Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Zaton, population 985 The population was 42,615 in 2011, down from 49,728 in 1991 In the 2011 census, 90.34% of the population identified as Croat, 3.52% as Bosniak, 2.73% as Serb and 0.4% as Albanian. The official language of the ancient
Republic of Ragusa The Republic of Ragusa, or the Republic of Dubrovnik, was an maritime republics, aristocratic maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik (''Ragusa'' in Italian and Latin; ''Raguxa'' in Venetian) in South Dalmatia (today in southernmost ...
was Italian from 1492 to 1807. For this reason, historically, there was a significant community of Italians in Dubrovnik, the
Dalmatian Italians Dalmatian Italians (; ) are the historical Italian national minority living in the region of Dalmatia, now part of Croatia and Montenegro. Historically, Italian language-speaking Dalmatians accounted for 12.5% of population in 1865, 5.8% in 18 ...
. According to the Austrian censuses they were 331 Dalmatian Italians (4.6% of the total population) in 1890, 548 (6.5%) in 1900 and 409 (4.6%) in 1910.Guerrino Perselli, ''I censimenti della popolazione dell'Istria, con Fiume e Trieste e di alcune città della Dalmazia tra il 1850 e il 1936'', Centro di Ricerche Storiche - Rovigno, Unione Italiana - Fiume, Università Popolare di Trieste, Trieste-Rovigno, 1993 Their number dropped drastically following the Istrian-Dalmatian exodus, which took place from 1943 to 1960. From the 2011 Croatian census, there are 27 Dalmatian Italians present in Dubrovnik, correspond to 0.06% of the total population.


Transport

Dubrovnik has its own Dubrovnik Airport, international airport, located approximately southeast of Dubrovnik city centre, near Čilipi. Buses connect the airport with the Dubrovnik old main bus station in Gruž. In addition, a network of modern, local buses connects all Dubrovnik neighbourhoods running frequently from dawn to midnight. However, Dubrovnik, unlike Croatia's other major centres, is not accessible by rail; until 1975 Dubrovnik was Croatian Railways#Dubrovnik and Ploče, connected to Mostar and Sarajevo by a narrow-gauge railway (760 mm) built during the Bosnia and Herzegovina (Austro-Hungarian condominium), Austro-Hungarian rule of Bosnia. The A1 (Croatia), A1 highway, in use between Zagreb and Ploče, is planned to be extended all the way to Dubrovnik. Because the area around the city is disconnected from the rest of Croatian territory, the highway will either cross the Pelješac Bridge whose construction was completed in 2022, or run through Neum in
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
and continue to Dubrovnik.


Education

Dubrovnik has a number of higher educational institutions. These include the University of Dubrovnik, the Dubrovnik International University, Libertas University (Dubrovnik International University), Rochester Institute of Technology Croatia (former American College of Management and Technology), a University Centre for Postgraduate Studies of the University of Zagreb, and an Institute of History of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts.


Sports

The city hosted the 2025 World Men's Handball Championship at the new arena, along with the countries Denmark and Norway. Local football club NK GOŠK Dubrovnik has been playing in the third tier of the Croatian football pyramid for years. Local waterpolo club VK Jug is among the most successful in Croatian history, with many of its players being members of the Croatia men's national water polo team, Croatia national water polo team. The local chapter of the Croatian Mountaineering Society, HPS is ''HPD "Orjen"'', which had 96 members in 1936 under the Đuro Orlić presidency. At the time, it also had a skiing, ski section, a caving section and a photography section. Membership fell to 87 in 1937. Membership rose to 90 in 1938.


Gallery


Notable people

* Franco Sacchetti (Ragusa, 1332 – San Miniato, 1400), poet and novelist * Benedetto Cotrugli (Ragusa, 1416 – L'Aquila, 1469), humanist and economist. * Bonino de Boninis (
Lastovo Lastovo () is an archipelago municipality in Dubrovnik-Neretva County in Croatia. The municipality consists of 46 islands with a total population of 792 people, of which 94.7% are ethnic Croats, and a land area of approximately . ''Lastovo Munic ...
, Ragusa, 1454 – Treviso, 1528), typographist and bookseller. * Elio Lampridio Cerva (Ragusa, 1463 – 1520), humanist, poet and lexicographer of Latin language * Marin Držić (Ragusa, 1508 – Venice, 1567), playwright, poet and dramaturge * Marino Ghetaldi (Ragusa, 1568 – 1626), mathematician * Aaron ben David Cohen of Ragusa, Aaron ben David Cohen (Ragusa, ~1580 - 1656), rabbi * Giorgio Raguseo (Ragusa, 1580 – 1622), philosopher, theologian, and orator * Rajmund Zamanja (Ragusa, 1587 – 1647), theologist, philosopher and linguist. * Ivan Gundulić (Ragusa, 1589 – 1638), writer and poet * Anselmo Banduri (Ragusa, 1671 – Paris, 1743), numismatist and antiquarian * Ruđer Josip Bošković (Dubrovnik, 1711 – Milan, 1787) physicist, astronomer, mathematician, philosopher, diplomat, poet, theologian * Mato Vodopić (Dubrovnik, 1816), Roman Catholic Diocese of Dubrovnik, bishop of Dubrovnik * Matija Ban (Dubrovnik, 1818), poet, dramatist, and playwright * Medo Pucić (Dubrovnik, 1821), writer and politician * Konstantin Vojnović (Dubrovnik, 1832), politician, university professor and rector in the
Kingdom of Dalmatia The Kingdom of Dalmatia (; ; ) was a crown land of the Austrian Empire (1815–1867) and the Cisleithanian half of Austria-Hungary (1867–1918). It encompassed the entirety of the region of Dalmatia, with its capital at Zadar. History The Habs ...
and Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia of the
Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...
* city of Ragusa (ship), Nicola Primorac (Dubrovnik, 1840), tobacconist, who together with a sailor and a ship's steward sailed the tiny yawl ''City of Ragusa (ship), City of Ragusa'' twice across the Atlantic in 1870 and 1871 * Ivo Vojnović (Dubrovnik, 1857), writer * Milan Rešetar (Dubrovnik, 1860), philologist * Tereza Kesovija (Dubrovnik, 1938), pop-classical-chanson singer * Dubravka Tomšič Srebotnjak (Dubrovnik, 1940), pianist * Milo Hrnić (Dubrovnik, 1950 - 2023), pop singer * Andro Knego (Dubrovnik, 1956), basketball player, Olympic and World champion * Banu Alkan (Dubrovnik, 1958), female actor * Dragan Andrić (water polo), Dragan Andrić (Dubrovnik, 1962), water polo player, two-time Olympic champion * Mario Kopić (Dubrovnik, 1965), philosopher * Nikola Prkačin (Dubrovnik, 1975), basketball player * Vlado Georgiev (Dubrovnik, 1976), pop singer, composer, and songwriter * Frano Vićan (Dubrovnik, 1976), water polo player, Olympic, World and European champion * Emir Spahić (Dubrovnik, 1980), football player * Miho Bošković (Dubrovnik, 1983), water polo player, Olympic, World and European champion * Nikša Dobud (Dubrovnik, 1985), water polo player, Olympic and World champion * Lukša Andrić (Dubrovnik, 1985), basketball player * Hrvoje Perić (Dubrovnik, 1985), basketball player * Andro Bušlje (Dubrovnik, 1986), water polo player, Olympic, World and European champion * Paulo Obradović (Dubrovnik, 1986), water polo player, Olympic and World champion * Maro Joković (Dubrovnik, 1987), water polo player, Olympic, World and European champion * Ante Tomić (basketball), Ante Tomić (Dubrovnik, 1987), basketball player * Andrija Prlainović (Dubrovnik, 1987), water polo player, Olympic, World and European champion * Sandro Sukno (Dubrovnik, 1990), water polo player, Olympic and World champion * Elvis Sarić (Dubrovnik, 1990), football player * Danijal Brković (Dubrovnik, 1991), football player * Mario Hezonja (Dubrovnik, 1995), basketball player * Alen Halilović (Dubrovnik, 1996), football player * Ana Konjuh (Dubrovnik, 1997), tennis player


Twin towns and sister cities

Dubrovnik is twin towns and sister cities, twinned with: *
Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
, Italy * Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Germany * Beyoğlu, Turkey * Cetinje, Montenegro * Graz, Austria * Helsingborg Municipality, Helsingborg, Sweden * Imotski, Croatia * Monterey, California, Monterey, United States * Ragusa, Italy, Ragusa, Italy * Ravenna, Italy * Rueil-Malmaison, France * Sanya, China * Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina * Sorrento, Italy * Vukovar, Croatia


In popular culture

Roger Corman's 1964 war thriller ''The Secret Invasion'' is set in Dubrovnik and was filmed on location there. Although the story is fiction the fighting between Italian and German troops depicted at the end is based on fact. The HBO series ''Game of Thrones'' used Dubrovnik as a
filming location A filming location is a place where some or all of a film or television series is produced, instead of or in addition to using sets constructed on a movie studio backlot or soundstage. In filmmaking, a location is any place where a film crew wi ...
, representing the cities of King's Landing (A Song of Ice and Fire), King's Landing and Qarth. Parts of ''Star Wars: The Last Jedi'' were filmed in Dubrovnik in March 2016, in which Dubrovnik was used as the setting for the casino city of List of Star Wars planets and moons#Cantonica, Canto Bight. Dubrovnik was one of the European sites used in the Bollywood movie ''Fan (2016 film), Fan'' (2016), starring Shah Rukh Khan. In early 2017, ''Robin Hood (2018 film), Robin Hood'' was filmed on locations in Dubrovnik. In Kander and Ebb's song "Ring Them Bells", the protagonist, Shirley Devore, goes to Dubrovnik to look for a husband and meets her neighbor from New York. The text-based video game ''Quarantine Circular'' is set aboard a ship off the coast of Dubrovnik, and a few references to the city are made throughout the course of the game. The Dubrovniks were an Australian Independent rock band formed in 1987. Often regarded as a 'Supergroup' due to the band members having played in various established bands such as Hoodoo Gurus, Beasts of Bourbon, and The Scientists. The band chose their name due to two members of the band Roddy Radalj (guitar vocals) and Boris Sujdovik (bass) being born in Dubrovnik.


Acknowledgements

Dubrovnik was included in the Travel + Leisure ''25 Most Beautiful Cities in the World'' list, ranked 18th.


Honorary citizens

Named by Dubrovnik City Council: * Kathy Wilkes (1991-1992) * Ivan Supek (1997) * Pope John Paul II (2003) * Christopher Patten (2004) * Stjepan Mesić (2009) * Ante Gotovina (2012) * Francesco Cossiga (2023)Marijanović Ladašić, Dubravka
Nadbiskup Želimir Puljić i ratni gradonačelnik Poljanić o Francescu Cossigi: ‘Bio je zaljubljen u naš grad. Zvao je Beograd, pitao ‘kako su mogli bombardirati hrvatsku Veneciju i poslao nam brodom hranu i vodu‘
''dubrovacki.slobodnadalmacija.hr''. Dubrovački vjesnik. Published 30 January 2023. Access date 30 June 2023.


See also

*
Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...
* Dubrovnik chess set * Lovrijenac * List of people from Dubrovnik *
Republic of Ragusa The Republic of Ragusa, or the Republic of Dubrovnik, was an maritime republics, aristocratic maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik (''Ragusa'' in Italian and Latin; ''Raguxa'' in Venetian) in South Dalmatia (today in southernmost ...
* Tourism in Croatia * Walls of Dubrovnik


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * *


Further reading

* * * * * *


External links

*
UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Old City of Dubrovnik

Encyclopædia Britannica.com: Dubrovnik
*
Youtube.com: Dubrovnik — digital video reconstruction
— ''by GRAIL at Washington University''. * * {{Authority control Dubrovnik, Cities and towns in Croatia Capitals of former nations Dalmatia Mediterranean port cities and towns in Croatia Populated coastal places in Croatia Illyrian Croatia Populated places in Dubrovnik-Neretva County Fortified settlements Kingdom of Dalmatia Populated places established in the 7th century 7th-century establishments in Europe World Heritage Sites in Danger World Heritage Sites in Croatia Ports and harbours of Croatia Territories of the Republic of Venice